A retrovirus designated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), particularly the strains known as HIV type-1 (HIV-1) virus and type-2 (HIV-2) virus, is the etiological agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease characterized by the destruction of the immune system, particularly of CD4 T-cells, with attendant susceptibility to opportunistic infections, and its precursor AIDS-related complex (“ARC”), a syndrome characterized by symptoms such as persistent generalized lymphadenopathy, fever and weight loss. This virus was previously known as LAV, HTLV-III, or ARV. A common feature of retrovirus replication is the extensive post-translational processing of precursor polyproteins by a virally encoded protease to generate mature viral proteins required for virus assembly and function. Inhibition of this processing prevents the production of normally infectious virus. For example, Kohl et al., Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. 1988, 85: 4686, demonstrated that genetic inactivation of the HIV encoded protease resulted in the production of immature, non-infectious virus particles. These results indicated that inhibition of the HIV protease represents a viable method for the treatment of AIDS and the prevention or treatment of infection by HIV.
Nucleotide sequencing of HIV shows the presence of a pol gene in one open reading frame [Ratner et al., Nature 1985, 313: 277]. Amino acid sequence homology provides evidence that the pol sequence encodes reverse transcriptase, an endonuclease, HIV protease and gag, which encodes the core proteins of the virion (Toh et al., EMBO J. 1985, 4: 1267; Power et al., Science 1986, 231: 1567; Pearl et al., Nature 1987, 329: 351].
Several HIV protease inhibitors are presently approved for clinical use in the treatment of AIDS and HIV infection, including indinavir (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,999), amprenavir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,397), saquinavir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,438), ritonavir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,801), nelfinavir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,926), and atazanavir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,911 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,087,383). Each of these protease inhibitors is a peptide-derived peptidomimetic, competitive inhibitor of the viral protease which prevents cleavage of the HIV gag-pol polyprotein precursor. Tipranavir (U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,195) is a non-peptide peptidomimetic protease inhibitors also approved for use in treating HIV infection. The protease inhibitors are administered in combination with at least one and typically at least two other HIV antiviral agents, particularly nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors such as zidovudine (AZT) and lamivudine (3TC) and/or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors such as efavirenz and nevirapine. Indinavir, for example, has been found to be highly effective in reducing HIV viral loads and increasing CD4 cell counts in HIV-infected patients, when used in combination with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. See, for example, Hammer et al., New England J. Med. 1997, 337: 725-733 and Gulick et al., New England J. Med. 1997, 337: 734-739.
The established therapies employing a protease inhibitor are not suitable for use in all HIV-infected subjects. Some subjects, for example, cannot tolerate these therapies due to adverse effects. Many HIV-infected subjects often develop resistance to particular protease inhibitors. Accordingly, there is a continuing need for new compounds which are capable of inhibiting HIV protease and suitable for use in the treatment or prophylaxis of infection by HIV and/or for the treatment or prophylaxis or delay in the onset or progression of AIDS.
Of interest as background are the following references which disclose amino acid derivatives with HIV aspartyl protease inhibiting properties, processes for preparing the derivatives, and/or therapeutic uses of the derivatives: WO 01/68593, WO 02/064551 A1, WO 03/074467 A2, WO 2004/056764 A1, WO 2006/012725 A1, WO 2006/114001 A1, WO 2007/062526 A1, WO 2008/023273 A2, WO 2008/078200 A2, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,388,008 B2.
Also of interest is WO 2009/042093 which discloses certain lysine sulfonamide derivatives some of which are HIV protease inhibitors and others of which can be metabolized in vivo to HIV protease inhibitors. Many of the derivatives are characterized by the inclusion of branching on the lysine side chain.